Planning a trip to Japan can be an exciting yet overwhelming experience, especially when it comes to finding the perfect place to stay. For first-time visitors, navigating the huge variety of hotels in Japan can be daunting, so I decided to create this blog post to show you some affordable hotels in Japan that offer exceptional value for money without compromising on comfort or service.
Every time I visit Japan, I try to move around as little as possible when it comes to accommodation because it’s the easiest way to avoid dragging suitcases from one place to another. If you’re planning to follow my itinerary, I recommend staying in just three hotels: one in Tokyo, another in Kyoto (from where you can use the JR Pass to visit Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Miyajima—all close to Kyoto), and one in Takayama for when you visit Shirakawa-go the following day. I recommend looking for hotels near JR stations. If you’d rather stay in Osaka instead of Kyoto, that’s also a great option.
Keep in mind that my recommendations are based on affordable basic hotels with a double bed for couples, a private bathroom, and high ratings for location, service, comfort, and cleanliness. I haven’t included prices because they vary significantly depending on the season.
Where to Stay in Tokyo
These are the districts and neighbourhoods I recommend staying in while visiting Tokyo:
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- Ikebukuro:
- Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro: I recommend this as my first choice because we always stay here. As the name suggests, it’s located in Ikebukuro, which is a fantastic area to stay in. It’s close to everything, and the nearest station is on the Yamanote Line, which is covered by the JR Pass. The reception staff speak many languages, including Spanish, and they’ll be incredibly helpful with anything you need.
- Asta Hotel: 5 minutes from Ikebukuro Station.
- Keio Presso Inn Ikebukuro: also 5 minutes from Ikebukuro Station.
- Shinjuku: keep in mind that prices here are generally a bit higher. Shinjuku is an excellent neighbourhood, but the station is a maze, so it’s worth knowing that in advance!
- Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo: 6 minutes from Shinjuku Station.
- APA Hotel Shinjuku Kabukicho Chuo: 6 minutes from Shinjuku Station.
- Hotel Gracery Shinjuku: a little more expensive, but also a great option, located 8 minutes from Shinjuku Station.
- Shibuya:
- Shibuya Tobu Hotel: 6 minutes on foot from Shibuya Station.
- The OneFive Tokyo Shibuya: 7 minutes from Shibuya Station.
- Ueno:
- Hotel Resol Ueno: directly opposite Ueno Station.
- Grids Tokyo Ueno Hotel&Hostel: also directly opposite Ueno Station.
- Sotetsu Fresa Inn Ueno-Okachimachi: 8 minutes from Ueno Station.
- Ikebukuro:
Accommodation in Kyoto
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- Central Kyoto area (and Shimogyo district):
- Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto Shijo Karasuma. This hotel is very reasonably priced and the location is perfect, as it is in the city center and very close to a metro station (Shijō Station), and you will be at Kyoto Station in 5 minutes. Walking would take around 21 minutes.
- Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Kiyomizu Gojo: it is a 18-minute walk from Kyoto Station.
- Gion and Higashiyama district:
- Central Kyoto area (and Shimogyo district):
Accommodation in Osaka
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- Minami Area – Namba and Shinsaibashi: this is the commercial, food, and nightlife center of Osaka.
- Kita Area – Umeda: the last time we stayed in Osaka, we stayed in this area and loved it for getting around everywhere.
- Shin-Osaka Station: Shin-Osaka is the shinkansen stop where almost all travelers arriving from other parts of Japan enter. There is not much to do here, but it is convenient if you establish Osaka as your “base camp” and then move around to other places, especially if you are traveling with lots of luggage.
Accommodation in Takayama
Takayama and Shirakawa are not always included in the itinerary of a first trip to Japan, but in my case, I added them to the route, so here are some options in case you want to visit the Japanese Alps area!
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- Hotels:
- Country Hotel Takayama: We stayed here and it is perfect for spending a day in Takayama and taking the bus the next day to go to Shirakawa.
- Hotel Wing International Hida Takayama
- Ryokan: if you want to try the experience of staying in a ryokan, here are some options in Takayama.
- Hotels:
How to get to Japan
There are several ways to get to Japan, but it always depends on your itinerary, flight prices, and other factors. Japan’s capital is Tokyo and it has two main airports, Narita and Haneda, but you can also arrive through Osaka (Kansai Airport).
In my case, the first time I flew in and out of Tokyo, even though as soon as I arrived I went to Kyoto on a Shinkansen (bullet train), which is included with the JR Pass (I explain it further below).
The main airlines you can usually fly there with are Japan Airlines, British Airways, ANA, KLM, Turkish Airways, Emirates… The lowest price I have ever paid was €490 for a round trip, but this will depend on the season you are looking at. In fact, since borders reopened in 2022, flights rarely drop below €800.
Visa or other entry requirements
Since April 29, 2023, it is no longer necessary to present a valid vaccination certificate or a Covid-19 test certificate before departure. However, you will have to follow the steps explained on Visit Japan Web to create several QR codes that will make your entry into the country easier: immigration, customs, and tax-free shopping.
Travel insurance
For this type of trip, I always get IATI travel insurance so we can feel more relaxed in case something happens. In Japan, we once had an incident and it was a lifesaver. We usually choose the “IATI Basic” or “IATI Standard” options, although depending on the country you should look at the “Star” or “Backpacker” options.
Additionally, you can add or purchase cancellation insurance. There is an “IATI Premium Cancellation” option, which has been specifically designed to cover costs associated with trip cancellations (flights, accommodation, excursions, among others), up to a limit of €6,000, in case you cannot travel for one of the reasons covered by the policy.
By clicking this link you can purchase any IATI insurance with a 5% discount: https://www.iatiseguros.com?r=81717716852618.
Money during the trip – N26 Card
In Japan they use the Yen (¥), and you can get an idea of its value knowing that ¥100 is around €0.64. We used our credit card to pay for everything during this trip and had no problems.
I got this card to travel to Iceland, and since then it has worked perfectly for me on all my trips. Since I have traveled quite a few times to Japan and other countries that do not use the euro in recent years, I was a bit tired of having to deal with exchange fees at airports or exchange offices, the approximately 3% commission my bank charges me for every card purchase, or for withdrawing money… So I tried to find a solution to this problem because, although it may seem like a small percentage, when you add it all up, the amount of money wasted on fees really adds up.
So, when I am traveling, I pay for everything with my N26 prepaid card. You can request it through this link. A few points to keep in mind:
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- I opened an account for free at Spanish and eurozone ATMs, as long as they are contactless.
- If you want the physical card, you can request it for €10.
- Adding money to the card is very easy, as it is done through a bank transfer.
- Some important points to keep in mind while traveling with this card:
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- You can pay in any currency other than euros. N26 does not charge fees for making payments abroad, even if another currency is involved. The exchange rate applied is the one provided by Mastercard.
- If you have a standard N26 account and want to withdraw money from an ATM outside Europe, you will have to pay a 1.7% foreign exchange fee (but nothing for the transaction itself). With an N26 You or Metal account, you will not be charged this fee. I use the Standard one.
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All the payments I have made in countries with currencies other than the Euro have had a very good exchange rate (in this case the Visa rate applies). I was constantly comparing it with a currency converter to check the daily exchange rate, and the rate they used was even better than the one shown online.
If you have any questions about this topic, send me an email and I will help you, but the process is very easy. Here is the link again: N26.
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